RANGERS made it four successive victories in all competitions with a convincing 3-0 win over Partick Thistle in ScottishPower Women’s Premier League action this afternoon.
Two goals were plundered inside a rampant opening seven minutes through Katie Wilkinson and Quinty Sabajo, with the hosts enjoying complete superiority in the contest without further reward in the first half.
However, they added a third deep into the second period through Laura Berry to continue their positive momentum ahead of the final outing of the calendar year next weekend against Aberdeen at Balmoral Stadium.
Leanne Crichton named six changes to her side from last weekend’s Scottish Cup success, which included recalls, among others, for Jenna Fife, Laura Rafferty and Kim Shin Ji.
Rangers were immediately on the front foot as Mia McAulay raced down the left-hand side and watched her fizzing cross sail into the arms of the Partick Thistle goalkeeper.
60 seconds later, the opening goal arrived as the hosts shimmied with intent down the opposite flank; Sabajo releasing Laura Berry who skipped past a Thistle challenge and picked out Wilkinson who slotted home into the bottom corner.
The home side were purring with intent and doubled their advantage in quickfire fashion when Eilidh Austin, enjoying a rich vein of form, showed tremendous persistence on the right and centred in search of Sabajo who composed herself in space and dispatched convincingly beyond Jennifer Currie.
It was one-way traffic at Broadwood as, moments later, a corner was cleared only as far as Jodi McLeary whose touch set her up perfectly to thunder a strike just inches wide.
Wilkinson then lifted a half-volley onto the roof of the net before Sabajo weaved her way through a succession of Thistle challenges but could only stab a tame finish straight at Currie.
A floated free-kick from McLeary almost engineered a third of the first half when Laura Rafferty, making her first start of the season, rose highest, although the defender couldn’t quite generate the required purchase.
Crichton’s side were in firm control and were immediately threatening the away side’s goal after the interval when a cross-cum-shot from McAulay had Currie scrambling across goal with Wilkinson lurking with intent.
The only aspect missing from Rangers’ performance was further goals to match their territorial dominance, with Shin Ji coming close when she weaved her way through several Thistle challenges and let fly with a wayward effort from the edge of the penalty area.
Wilkinson then turned provider just shy of the hour mark after swivelling neatly midway inside the Thistle half, releasing Shin Ji beyond the visiting backline but the midfielder contrived to poke her finish straight at the onrushing Currie.
The woodwork came to Thistle’s rescue give minutes later when Berry burst into the penalty area on the right-hand side, but she could only watch her ferocious effort come back off the outside of the near post.
A surging overlapping run from Nicola Docherty looked certain to engineer a dangerous crossing opportunity, although the Gers captain could only float her cross straight into the grateful arms of Currie.
Jenna Fife had been a relative bystander for the home side for 75 minutes, which made Addison Handley’s audacious effort even more ambitious as the Gers goalkeeper scrambled to make sure her long-range strike didn’t dip underneath the crossbar.
Any lingering doubts – of which there were few given the flow of the game – were soon quelled when Rangers got their third with 12 minutes remaining. McAulay’s initial effort came back off the post and fell kindly for Berry to slam home from three yards out.
The final act of the game came from the penalty spot when substitute Li Mengwen was brought down inside the penalty area. Up stepped Wilkinson from 12 yards, but it was uncharacteristic from the forward when she contrived to lift her effort over the crossbar to keep the scoreline as it was.
RANGERS: Fife, Austin (Mengwen, 80), Pegram, Rafferty (Connolly-Jackson, 74), Docherty, McLeary, Shin Ji (Coyle Morrow, 89), Sabajo (Cruft, 74), Berry (Lafaix, 80), McAulay, Wilkinson
Subs not used: Cunningham, O’Donnell
PARTICK THISTLE: Currie, Handley, McCulloch, Falconer, King, Rennie, Donaldson, Fraser, English, Syrjanen, Ferguson
Subs not used: MacNair, Slater, Turner
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